


The Mansion in Miyagi-ken (Part I)

by kaoruhana



Series: SessKag Week 2020 [5]
Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: Detective Miroku, Kidnapping, Kind of a Crime Thriller type story?, Serial Kidnappers AU, Sesshomaru is a Bad Guy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-25
Updated: 2020-07-25
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:02:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,985
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25497259
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaoruhana/pseuds/kaoruhana
Summary: Kagome travels to Miyagi Prefecture to help her grandfather's Bridge Club Friend renovate his old ancestral home.  After her arrival though, she feels uncomfortable about Mori-sama and suspects that he's hiding something on the third floor.
Series: SessKag Week 2020 [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1842967
Comments: 2
Kudos: 14
Collections: SessKag Week 2020





	The Mansion in Miyagi-ken (Part I)

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is my first time writing a crime/ thriller/ horror story. Sesshomaru is not a good guy here. This is also actually the only story I will be writing a sequel to. Though the sequel will be the final installment of SessKag Week 2020. 
> 
> Trigger Warning: Kidnapping, Women being abducted, and all kinds of things related to that. 
> 
> I repeat, not my usual type of story, and might not be a pleasant read for all. 
> 
> This was originally inspired by the character "Bertha Mason" in Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre. I wanted to incorporate a story that either referenced that or alluded to it. I think I missed the mark on that as this story took on a life of its own as I started writing, and it evolved from my original intention into this crime thriller. 
> 
> Not beta'ed.
> 
> Prompt: Ghost Story / Disaster / Gothic  
> Word Count: 3,985

Kagome got off the train at her stop in the rural Japanese countryside. She still wasn’t entirely sure why she had agreed to travel halfway across the country to help some random stranger she had never met. Well, not so much a stranger per se, but she had never met her grandfather’s friends from his old Bridge Club, but her grandfather insisted that Sesshomaru was a good person. 

A good person who had, on a whim, decided to move to rural parts of Miyagi Prefecture three years ago. 

And the work promised to be good, while the pay was completely worth her time. 

So, here she was at one of the few rural train stations in Miyagi trying to spot this bridge club friend who she only had one picture of. 

“Excuse me, Higurashi-san yes?” 

Kagome startled a little at the voice that seemingly appeared from her right elbow. Looking there, she spotted a small, bald man, who was dressed in a yukata. He was carrying a cane and had one of the dourest expressions she had ever seen on someone’s face. 

“Erm, sorry. Do I know you?” She asked, trying to be polite. 

“Mori-san sent me to fetch you. We’re already running late anyway, so come on follow me.” He cast a quick look at her luggage. “And bring your bags with you too.” 

Kagome didn’t really want to follow the man, but she figured that if he was going to turn out to be a creep or pervert, she had pepper stray in her trusty yellow bag. Besides, she did know enough self-defense courtesy of Sango that she should at least be able to run away and call for help if needed. 

Once she picked up her bags-- her yellow rucksack and a rolled suitcase stuffed to the brim-- she followed the old man to the parking lot in front of the train station. He led her to an impressive looking Green Range Rover, a vehicle that was so out of place next to its surroundings that she spent a few seconds just staring at it. 

Shaking herself out of her stupor, she climbed into the car, after placing her bags in the trunk, and buckled herself in. They had just started to pull out of the parking lot when her phone buzzed in her hands indicating that someone was trying to call her. 

A glance at the phone informed it was Mori-san. 

“Hello?” 

“Higurashi-san? This is Mori Sesshomaru. I hope that by now you’ve been able to meet my attendant and are on your way to my estate?” 

“Oh! Yeah, yeah I am.” Kagome answered looking out at the scenery. “Um, at least I think so. I’m in a green Range Rover, and we just started.” 

“Good. I have some business to take care of today, so I won’t be available immediately. Jaken-san will get you situated in the Estate, and I will see you at the Estate.” 

“Oh, um okay, I guess. So, I’ll see you later then.” Kagome replied a little miffed that her employer apparently couldn’t make the time to meet her when she arrived. 

“Very well. Goodbye Higurashi-san.” He hung up then, and Kagome pulled the phone away from her face, staring at the screen in silence for a few moments. 

Well, that was decidedly odd she thought as she sent a quick text to her friends and family back home informing them she had arrived. Hopefully, when she met Mori-san later today she’d get a better feel of just who her employer was and what he was expecting out of her during her employment. 

When they arrived at Mori-san’s estate a half-hour later, Kagome couldn’t help but stare with large eyes. The estate encompassed a large, sprawling, Japanese style manor, that was obviously quite old. The grounds around it were meticulously kept and she couldn’t help but admire the trees and flowers that were in bloom in the early Summer sun. It had a driveway made of gravel that led to the only modern building Kagome saw on the property: a large garage. 

Jaken opened the door to the garage automatically as they arrived and they pulled into a space that had one other car neatly parked: a sleek Black Mercedes sedan. She noticed that there was a large empty space as well and wondered idly if Mori-san’s business had required him to take what was most likely his other car out for the day. 

“Come on girl. We have a lot of ground to cover today, and I don’t have a lot of time to show it all to you.” 

Looking at the man who she now knew was called Jaken-san, Kagome nodded. She climbed out of the SUV, grabbed her bags from the back, and followed him into the main estate building. 

Even before they walked in, Kagome easily noticed the areas on the roof and engawa that would need repairs. She made a note to look at them later as she walked into the house proper, or really, what could be described as one of the largest genkan spaces she had ever seen. 

A quick removal of shoes later, Kagome and Jaken moved through the houses numerous hallways-- all tatami covered--up a flight of stairs and down another hallway before they reached her room. 

Or rather, her suite of rooms Kagome thought as she took in the three large rooms connected through a series of shoji screen. Jaken-san had taken her to what was a sitting area complete with cozy armchair and table and a low-lying Japanese style table next to what were numerous bookshelves taking up the far-left corner. The shoji on the right led to a spacious bedroom while the one on the left led into a study with even more bookshelves and a large desk. 

“Wow! Um. please thank Mori-san for me.” Kagome stated moving into the room proper. “He really didn’t have to go all the trouble to give me an entire suite of rooms for my stay.” 

“Mori-sama does what he wishes.” Jaken replied cryptically before making his way to the bedroom. “Please follow me.” 

Kagome did as asked, entering the bedroom area of her suite. Oddly, for a man who preferred luxury cars, her bed was merely a futon. But she was quick to note that it looked extremely comfortable and the bedding was made of obviously rich and indulgent fabrics. It was luxury at its finest in a different form than what she was used to. 

A large trunk lay open in the corner, and she made her way towards it only to gape and splutter at the contents inside. 

Even she could recognize expensive and rich kimonos when she saw them. 

“Mori-sama asks that you please wear those during the duration of your stay.” Jaken instructed standing by the futon. “You may of course wear what you want in the privacy of your bedroom, but he prefers you to be dressed in the kimono when anywhere else.” 

Kagome blinked looking back up at the man who accompanied her. “I...um please tell him thank you, but I honestly don’t think I could wear such expensive fabrics. I wouldn’t want to ruin them.” 

Jaken looked at her shrewdly, his gaze making Kagome flinch at its harshness. “Mori-sama does as Mori-sama wishes Higurashi-san. But in things such as this, it is best not to go against him.” 

After saying his cryptic comments, Jaken left, leaving her to get settled in and wonder just what she had gotten herself into. Fixing up an old manor home in the traditional style shouldn’t come with these many stipulations should it? 

Dinner was a quiet affair, and while Kagome tried to talk to her employer, she was a little annoyed when he rebuffed most of her questions by informing her she had the information already and could get started on her work anytime she wished. It was decidedly odd for her to get so much leeway in the project off the bat, and she wondered whether or not to press him further that night. She didn’t get a chance to however, since he left, shortly after dinner to retire to his rooms, leaving her alone and decidedly more confused about the nature of her job than ever before. 

***&&*** 

Ogawa Miroku, a detective with the Aizu police department stared at the file of Takahashi Rin. It was supposedly a dead-end case, one that hadn’t been solved since Rin went missing three years ago. But it just screamed weird to him. There was something that nagged at him about this case, something that told him that there was more to the cold case than he thought. Considering the fact that he had been brought up from Tokyo to investigate it, he knew his instincts were right. 

Especially since three more dark haired, brown-eyed women had disappeared while in rural Miyagi prefecture since the time Takahashi Rin had gone missing. Three women who were also all petite and came from a shrine-maiden background just like her. 

Takahashi Rin was the first missing female, and she was reported missing by her grandmother who had last seen her walking outside in the fields at dusk that day. They had searched the entire area, the entire prefecture even, but the just out of high school teenager had never been found. 

The second victim, Onigumo Kagura was reported missing by her sister. It was claimed that her brother Onigumo Naraku had killed her and hid her body. But the man had killed himself shortly after her disappearance and no amount of searching had led to Onigumo Kagura’s whereabouts. 

The third victim, Sato Yura, was a young woman from Aizu who had decided to go on a solo trip around the country for a mid-twenties adventure. When she hadn’t called in during her daily check-in, her friends had informed the police. Her body had never been found, but her bag and bicycle had been found abandoned on the road. 

And the last was Hasegawa Kikyo. She was a young school teacher, only in her first year of work who was visiting an elderly aunt in the area. Like Takahashi Rin, she had stepped out for a walk one day and never returned. And she was the latest victim, having only disappeared two months ago. 

A sigh left Miroku as he pushed the file on Takahashi Rin aside for the moment and opened up a spreadsheet on his computer. Hasegawa Kikyo’s file had finally come into his possession today and he’d asked his rookie partner Nakamura Shippo to enter some basic information from the case file into the spreadsheet. As his eyes glanced over the new entries, he made note of two things: the person who’d investigated Hasegawa Kikyo’s disappearance was still on the force and the woman had disappeared in the same place as Takahashi Rin and Sato Yura. 

The pattern was noticeable enough that he had a feeling he should investigate these disappearances for what he was starting to suspect they were: serial kidnappings or, even worse serial killings. 

But first, he had a certain Mori Inuyasha to track down in the university ward precinct 

***&&*** 

One week later, Kagome wondered if she shouldn’t be more concerned about the job she had undertaken. When she agreed to help Mori-san repair his aging estate, she had thought that he’d have a say in the work too. But he’d pretty much given her a blank slate from hiring whatever contractors she thought appropriate to buying whatever new furnishings she deemed necessary. 

It was a little strange to have so much leeway in her work. 

Of course, one of the few things she had been glad she’d been able to do was try to create some kind of covered interior walkway to the bathhouse and install some form of indoor plumbing. She didn’t much like the idea of having to go outside at night with a flashlight just to make her way to the clean and old-fashioned squat toilet. 

There were some modern conveniences that she deemed necessary and indoor plumbing for an indoor toilet was one of them. 

She had decided to explore the upstairs rooms today to catalogue the things that needed work there. Her suite had obviously seen some updates since her shoji screens looked new and the tatami mats weren’t as worn down as some of the ones downstairs. But she suspected it was only one of the few sets of rooms in the house that was as nice. 

For privacy reasons, she didn’t enter Mori-san’s room, but she did intend to make her way up the stairs to the third floor to take a look at the rooms there. It was a smaller floor, almost like an attic of sorts with only a few rooms based on what she guessed from the outside view. The windows had all been boarded up, and she assumed it was because the attic was likely one of the areas in the house that needed the most work. 

She was halfway up the stairs leading to the third floor when the door granting entrance to it opened and Mori-san appeared. He was framed by some kind of lighting from inside the hallway that the door was guarding. Upon seeing her, his face took on a scowl before softening into the more placid poker face she had gotten used to with him. 

“Higurashi-san,” he greeted her, closing the door and coming down the stairs to meet her only a few steps away, “what are you doing up here?” 

“Um, Mori-san, hello. I was just trying to make an assessment of what needed to be done in the upstairs portions of the house.” She pointed to the attic door. “I thought I’d start up there and work my way down.” 

Mori-san’s eyes flashed for a moment and his gaze on her was a little too piercing. “I’m afraid that this floor is off limits Higurashi-san. I will see to its restoration.” He moved down a few more steps, and she grudgingly followed his lead down the stairs. 

“How is you work going? I hope there were no difficulties as of yet? I noticed you have not worn the kimono I provided.” 

“No, I haven’t encountered any problems.” Kagome answered as they reached the landing. “As for the kimono, I don’t want to ruin such expensive clothing while working. It was nice of you to offer them to me, but please it’s unnecessary.” 

Mori-sama simply stared at her with that gaze that was giving Kagome goosebumps. She’d thought her employer a little aloof and cold, but she’d never felt this uncomfortable in his presence before. She idly rubbed her arms, trying not to show her unease at the situation she was currently in. 

“Higurashi-san, I am afraid that I must decline you. Please wear the proper clothing I have provided for you from now on. In fact, I will see to the matter personally.” 

“Mori-san!” Kagome exclaimed, half outraged and half-confused. The man didn’t say anything however, and instead continued on down the stairs and out of sight. 

Grumbling about overbearing employers, Kagome looked back up at the door at the top of the stairs before she shrugged her shoulders and moved on. There were still many rooms left in the house even if the attic was off limits meaning she had a lot of work yet to do. 

That evening, at dinner, where Mori-sama frowned at her disappointedly when she came in dressed in her comfortable jeans and t-shirt. Seeing his expression, she decided that she was going to have a long talk with her grandfather about invasion of privacy and question him about Mori-san. If the work wasn’t so interesting, she was sure she’d have told him a long time ago what she thought about his weird dress code. 

A few minutes into dinner, he called Jaken-san into the room. They had a hushed conversation that Kagome couldn’t hear, but at the end of it, Jaken-san looked at her oddly before leaving. She wondered what it was about and decided that she’d worry about it later. 

When she made her way back upstairs after dinner, she changed quickly into her night clothes which were still laid out on the futon from this morning. Climbing into bed, she plugged her phone into a portable charger-- she was grateful that at least Mori-san had provided her that even if the man couldn’t give her indoor plumbing yet--and scrolled through her contacts before calling her family. 

They talked quite late into the night about everything she had been up to and the weird demands of her employer. It was her mother who insisted that she wear the kimono out of respect towards her employer. 

“He might just be old-fashioned and appreciate you following tradition, Kagome-chan.” Her mother informed her over the phone. “You should respect his feelings on the matter especially since he gives you so much freedom about everything else.” 

Kagome had conceded on that point, though as she put her phone away and got comfortable in her bed, Souta’s parting words kept going through her mind. 

“I wonder why he wants you to stay away from the third floor. You sure this guy ain’t a creep Jii-san?” 

It was hours later, two-twenty-three a.m. as her phone informed her, when she woke up with a start. It took her a few seconds to orient herself, and when she calmed down, took a note of the time, and tried to figure out just what had caused her to wake up. 

An eerie wail broke the silence of the night, followed by a scream, and someone shouting hysterically. Alarmed, Kagome jolted out of bed, grabbed her phone, turned its flashlight on, and made her way out of the room. It was only when she was outside her suite of rooms that she realized she may have placed herself into more danger. 

The shouting sounded again, and this time, in the hallway, she could tell it came from upstairs. Souta’s words came back to her, and she shivered, goosebumps rising on her flesh. Closing her eyes, she recited a few of the prayers her grandfather had drilled into her, trying to give her some courage in the moment. She didn’t know if, or how, the kami could help her, but she sincerely hoped one of them was listening. 

Footsteps sounded and Kagome opened her eyes, blinking at the flashlight that was now on her face. She had no idea how long she’d been standing in the hallway praying, but she suddenly wished she hadn’t wasted that time. 

“Higurashi-san, what are you doing up at this hour?” 

Unsure whether to be grateful or concerned about who the voice belonged to, Kagome backed away towards her suite of rooms. 

“I heard something.” She finally answered, staring carefully at the man’s face as Souta’s words kept playing on repeat in her brain. 

“There was nothing here but you Higurashi-san.” Mori-san stated, his eyes hard. “I suggest you go back to sleep now.” 

Kagome wanted to say something, she wanted to argue that she wasn’t imagining things. But the sounds had stopped now, and she wasn’t entirely sure if she had really heard them. Perhaps it was just a nightmare brought on by Souta’s words? 

“I... yeah, you’re probably right. I think I’ll go back to sleep now.” 

She fumbled behind her with the shoji to her rooms and walked into her suite backwards holding her phone in front of her as some kind of crude weapon. She didn’t relax even when she got to the bedroom, and quickly swiped open her phone shooting off an urgent text to her best friend. 

Sango,  
I know you don’t like to try to ask Miroku-kun favors, but it’s important. I think my grandfather’s friend is some kind of kidnapper. I need you to call him now and ask him to help me. 

The message sent, she swiped through her phone, found her brother’s number, and called him. He was groggy when he picked up the phone in confusion, but became more alert when she spoke. 

“Hey Souta, I think you’re right. I think I’ll need your help to get me out of here.” 

***&&*** 

Miroku crossed his legs at the ankles as he stared at the officer in front of him. Mori Inuyasha had surprisingly been a treasure trove of information once he’d started talking. The man was a rookie cop, barely a year on the force, and the Hasegawa disappearance had been his first big assignment. 

Mori-san had been put on the case because he’d been raised in the area where the disappearances occurred. From what Miroku had gleaned so far, there were a few tiny towns in the rural area which mostly consisted of farmland. It was a place where everybody knew the other and the disappearance of two local women in the span of five years had clearly shaken the community. 

It was also the home of Mori-san’s ancestral family seat. 

“Your family home- does anyone still live there?” Miroku asked. 

Inuyasha shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly as he answered. “Yeah, we have the old traditional manor house there. It’s a bit of a mess though. I know my brother moved there three years ago to try to fix it up, but I don’t speak to him much.” 

“You never mentioned your brother lived in the house.” Miroku replied. Shippo picked up on that information automatically and his partner, sitting next to him, scrolled through the file he had open on his laptop. He gave Miroku a nod telling the elder officer he was right. 

“Yeah, we weren’t allowed to search it then. He wasn’t home, and since he wasn’t a suspect Chief wouldn’t let me get a warrant to check the house.” Inuyasha paused for a moment, then stood up, walking to the door. He checked the hallway before closing the door and sitting down in his chair again. 

“Look, you may not believe me, but I have a weird feeling my brother’s involved.” 

Miroku raised his brows and leaned forward, his mouth tightening. “Explain.” 

“Look,” Inuyasha laid his hands on the desk, and fiddled with a stress ball on it, “I don’t get along with my brother, well half-brother, that well, but I’ve noticed some things about him lately that just don’t seem right. He never leaves that house anymore, and I swear there’s something up at the Estate because he doesn’t let me visit. But beyond that, the last time I saw him, a week ago, he had a phone in his car. I only saw it as he was driving away, but it looked too much like the one we knew Hasegawa had on her when she disappeared. It’s got a unique phone case, and I’m sure I’d recognize it when I see it.” 

“A week ago?” Miroku asked. 

He himself had arrived only two days ago, so he could see why he hadn’t been able to act on the information, but surely, the police in Aizu were more competent than this. Shouldn’t they have started investigating this matter immediately? 

“Yes.” Inuyasha growled, hitting his desk with his fist. “Chief won’t listen to reason, and we all know we got to keep this investigation above board so we can catch the person doing this. And if it is Sesshomaru, then I want to make sure nothing will keep that bastard from getting what he deserves.” 

There was more to this, Miroku was sure, but for now, he wanted to see if following up on what this cop in front of him said. If it was true, then he never needed to show up here in the first place, and the Aizu police force needed to be investigated for such blatant negligence and mishandling of cases. 

If it wasn’t- well, that’s why they had him here wasn’t it?

**Author's Note:**

> To be Continued (as Day Seven's Entry).


End file.
